Mist
by TwiLanes
Summary: The Cutie Mark Crusaders get more than they bargained for when they decide to explore the Everfree Forest more thoroughly than they ever have…on Nightmare Night. (Note: We don't own MLP!)


MIST

The path was dark, and a soft breath of wind blew through the open air. All that could be heard was the rustling of bushes, and the faint cries of unknown animals from the nearby Everfree Forest. In the thick blackness, a faint pinprick of light bobbed, coming closer and closer – a lantern that swung in the mouth of a yellow filly.

"Sweetie Belle? Scootaloo? Are y'all here yet?"

The filly peered over the lantern and into the gloom. "Girls?"

"We're over here. Keep it down, Apple Bloom. The Pegasus Patrols are still around." An orange foreleg emerged from a bush and yanked the filly through a cluster of leaves and brambles. Brushing her mane out of her eyes, Scootaloo blinked at her friends. "Ready to get those exploration cutie marks?"

"I don't know, you guys." Sweetie Belle tapped her hooves together nervously. "Some of the fillies at school told me that the Everfree Forest is extra weird on Nightmare Night. Like it's as evil as Nightmare Moon was."

"That's what Granny Smith says, too," Apple Bloom pointed out, her voice hushed.

"Pffft. That's just an old pony's tale," Scootaloo scoffed. "We go in there every year to see the Nightmare Moon statue, remember? Nothing happens to us." She reached into her crash helmet and removed a hastily drawn map, marked with the stations of the Pegasus Patrol ponies. "I think we're in Thunder Lane's area right now…he's done like three flybys in the last fifteen minutes, so –" The filly broke off as the whoosh of flapping wings came from overhead. Apple Bloom shoved the map onto the lantern, temporarily snuffing out its fiery glow.

"Thunder Lane?"

"What?"

"Are you slacking off again?"

"No! What makes you say that?"

"You haven't reported in for a while. I thought you might be taking a nap or something."

An exaggerated sigh. "I have nothing to report. Okay, General You're-One-To-Talk?"

"Shut your fat mouth, Thunder Drain, or I will pluck your feathers. That's not how you talk to the most awesome Pegasus in Equestria!" Another gust of air rustled the leaves on the bushes, and the Pegasi flew off, both muttering to themselves. There was a moment of silence, and then a whisper.

"Are they gone?"

Scootaloo lifted a branch and looked out on the silent night. "Yep. All clear."

Apple Bloom gingerly lifted the map off of the lantern and rolled it up, placing it back into Scootaloo's helmet. "Should we run for it?"

"Yeah." The orange Pegasus shoved the helmet onto her head ad pushed her scooter out of the bush. It squeaked, but not too loudly. "We've got like five minutes before he come back."

Sweetie Belle stepped into the open, brushing crumbs and sticks from her mane. "Liking this idea less and less now."

"Come on, let's go!" With a soft whir of wings, Scootaloo pushed the scooter over the dusty ground. "Cutie Mark Crusader Explorers, we've got a forest to…uh…explore!"

The forest was cold, and a thick mist undulated around the bases of the trees. The only thing that could be heard was the breathing of three fillies and the soft screech of a scooter wheel.

"Apple Bloom?"

"What is it, Sweetie Belle?"

"Um…I really, really don't like this…I want to go home." Traces of leftover costume makeup were smeared across the unicorn's face, missed with sweat and a few stained tear tracks. "Can we please get out of here?"

"We've barely been under the trees for ten minutes," Scootaloo said, easing her scooter across a protruding root. "Relax, Sweetie. Nothing's ever actually hurt us in here before."

"But it's never been _Nightmare Night_ before, either."

Apple Bloom patted her friend on the back. "Just a little longer, okay? Don't ya wanna get yer cutie mark?"

"Yeah, but…I'm scared!" Sweetie Belle took a deep breath; it sounded like she was holding back more tears.

"We're gonna be fine. We'll be outta here faster than you can call a chicken." The yellow filly grinned deviously at the orange one. "Scootaloo! Scoot-Scootaloo!"

"Shut up, you," Scootaloo hissed. "We agreed never to speak of that again."

As the trio ducked under another curtain of dangling vines, Scootaloo's ears pricked up. "Hey…do you hear that?" she whispered, holding up a hoof.

"Hear what?" Apple Bloom said, listening. The forest was silent, just as it had been before.

"That !" Scootaloo jerked her head to the left. "It sounds like Rainbow Dash...calling my name..."

"Why would Rainbow Dash be in here? She's busy keepin' all the Pegasus Patrol ponies in line. She doesn't have time to check out the forest herself," Apple Bloom pointed out.

"I know that! But it was totally her. Didn't you –" she stopped. "There it is again!"

"I don't hear anything, Scootaloo," Sweetie Belle whispered, trembling. "Can we _please_ go home now?"

Scootaloo wasn't paying attention. Her eyes flickered from tree to tree, shadow to shadow, as she looked for any sign of the pony she looked up to most. She sharply turned her head, and her face twisted up, frightened, determined.

"I have to help her!"

"Scootaloo, what in th' hay are you talkin' about?" Apple Bloom shouted, but it was too late, Scootaloo had straddled her scooter and buzzed of through a thick clump of bushes, Rainbow Dash's safety all she cared about.

"Oh no…ohno ohno ohno…we're done for now, Apple Bloom…we're gonna be in big trouble…We lost Scootaloo! What are we gonna do?" Even more grimy tear tracks slipped down the unicorn's cheeks as she stared after Scootaloo's disappearing form.

Apple Bloom took a deep breath, trying to shove her fear out of the way. "Don't you worry, Sweetie Belle," she said as calmly as she could. "Scootaloo is chasin' at shadows. She'll be right back. Probably."

Five minutes.

Ten minutes.

Scootaloo didn't come back.

"We'd better follow her," Apple Bloom muttered, grasping the lantern's handle between her teeth. "This is getting' ridiculous."

There wasn't any more chatter as Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle trudged after their Pegasus friend; only two scared fillies who had no idea where they were going.

"D-do you have the map, Apple Bloom?"

"No…Scootaloo had it."

Crack.

"What was that?"

"You stepped on a twig, Sweetie."

"N-no…not th-that…"

Sweetie Belle pushed her body into Apple Bloom's side, shivering as her eyes widened in fear, "t sounded like Rarity…like she was hurt…like she was calling for me. Apple Bloom, just like Scootaloo heard Rainbow…"

"But that doesn't make sense," Apple Bloom said. "Rarity had that crafts booth at the Festival, remember? She's cleanin' up right now. She might even be back at the _Boutique_ by now. She ain't out in the forest…" The filly gulped, ignoring the growing lump in her throat. "At least, Ah don't think she is."

Apple Bloom and Sweetie Belle took another step, and then another. One…two…one, two…one, two, one-two-onetwo onetwo onetwo and then they were running so fast that their eyes teared up and the world became a blur.

Sweetie Belle choked out, "Rarity!"

What if she was really out there? What if Rainbow Dash was really out there, too? Apple Bloom had dropped the lantern as she ran, and now the forest was black as pitch, only the occasional strand of moonlight shining though the canopy. "Sweetie Belle, come here. Ah can't see you anywhere."

No answer.

"Sweetie Belle?"

Nothing. Not even the smallest sob.

"Oh, no…"

Apple Bloom was alone, on Nightmare night, when the Everfree Forest did unexplainable things. Why hadn't she remembered all the stories Granny Smith told about unsuspecting ponies who'd gone into the forest on the anniversary of Nightmare Moon's imprisonment? None of them had ever returned. She felt a shudder ripple down her spine. If she'd only listened…

But she hadn't, and now she was lost.

A tiny glow caught her eye, leading off of the path and into a thick swath of undergrowth. Steeling herself, Apple Bloom touched the bush, then slipped through, feeling the rough brambles tear her coat. Earlier, before they came into the forest, the thorns had been merely annoying, but now they felt threatening. Like claws tearing at Apple Bloom's skin.

She emerged from the bushes to see a towering tree above her, ancient branches stone-still even in the breeze. Mist curled around its base and twined itself through the roots. It was Zecora's house – Apple Bloom could tell.

"Apple Bloom…"

The filly started, looking in every direction. "Who's there?"

"Apple Bloom…come inside…there is no need to hide…"

It sounded like Zecora, but Apple Bloom knew right away that it wasn't. The cadence of her voice was off, the tone and pitch just the smallest bit too rigid. But it was her only chance. The filly felt that she had to step through the door.

A solitary torch shone on the wall, the light bouncing through the window and pooling on the ground outside. The masks leaned against the wall like they always had, ad the potion bottles and bowls of ingredients hadn't moved. Bu something was different.

Wisps of mist hung languidly about the room, draping themselves over every inch of uncovered space. And Zecora wasn't there.

Scootaloo and Sweetie Belle were.

They hung from the ceiling, ghostly ropes bound to their waists and the rafters – unconscious, but alive. Apple Bloom hardly gave them a second glance.

"Apple Bloom…we've got less 'n' a minute to get this job done…" The mesmerizing voice became Applejack's, more ethereal than it had ever been. The calls of her family members filled the room now, Babs and Granny Smith and Big Mac, and their misty forms shimmered in the alcoves of the trunk…

"Apple Bloom…"

"Apple Bloom…"

"Take down the torch…"

"Apple Bloom…"

"Apple Bloom!"

Sweetie Belle had woken up. She swung softly to and fro, her legs dangling in midair, the cloud-like ropes tie around her middle. "A-Apple Bloom, what are you d-doing? Help us!"

"Apple Bloom…"

"It's yer only chance…"

"Take down the torch…"

"Please…!"

Drops from the ceiling as Sweetie Belle cried. "Apple Bloom, I know you're there! Fight it! Help me, help us!"

Tendrils of mist swirled around the room, like fingers, itching and grabbing and pulling at Apple Bloom, who, egged on by her family's voices, grabbed the torch…

"Apple Bloom, no!"

"Take it…"

"Take it…

"NO!"

Scootaloo was awake now, her voice joining with Sweetie Belle's, as they worked together to break the enchantment that covered their friend…

Apple Bloom was almost engulfed by mist now, nothing but the calling voices in her head, and her grip loosening on the burning torch…

"Apple Bloom…I…"

"No…"

The mist pulled at her mane, greedily, hungrily…

"Yesssss…"

Just as the torch slipped from her grasp and hit the wooden floor, the filly's glazed eyes lit up.

And then there was nothing but fire and smoke and ash, and three silent screams that floated away on a breath of misty wind.

* * *

Twi here! Thanks for reading this oneshot. I spent more time on this than you'd probably imagine, and I feel like it's pretty good. I hope you all feel the same way!

I'm also thinking about expanding the Mist, obviously the "villain" in this piece, and giving it another, totally unrelated story in Equestria. Of course, we'd have to wait a while for Magic Song to be done – I wouldn't feel comfortable doing anything else until it's done, except oneshots – but I want your opinion. Would this make a good multi-chapter story? Let me know in your reviews!

That's about it. Don't forget to check out Lanes's Halloween oneshot, "Costume of the Century." She's really showcasing her plot and idea talent in this one. Also, watch for Chapter Six of Magic Song, which of course will be up on Sunday!

- Twi


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